Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names.
Parallel translations
- WEB Their inward thought is that their houses will endure forever, and their dwelling places to all generations. They name their lands after themselves.
- BSB Their graves are their eternal homes—their dwellings for endless generations—even though their lands were their namesakes.
- NKJV Their inner thought is that their houses will last forever, Their dwelling places to all generations; They call their lands after their own names.
- NASB Their inner thought is that their houses are forever And their dwelling places to all generations; They have named their lands after their own names.
- NLT The grave is their eternal home, where they will stay forever. They may name their estates after themselves,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The wealthy imagine their estates will last forever and name lands after themselves, but this is self-deception. Their permanence is an illusion.
Overview
In their inward thoughts the rich suppose their houses will endure through all generations, even immortalizing their names on their lands. The psalm exposes this as a delusion, since they cannot escape death. The pursuit of earthly legacy apart from God is shown to be vain in light of mortality.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Gen 4:17And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.
- Ps 64:6They search out iniquities; they accomplish a diligent search: both the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart, is deep.
- Ps 5:9For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue.
- Ezek 38:10Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
- Ps 10:6He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity.
- 2 Sam 18:18Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself a pillar, which is in the king’s dale: for he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance: and he called the pillar after his own name: and it is called unto this day, Absalom’s place.
- Luke 11:39And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.
- Acts 8:22Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.
- 1 Sam 15:12And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.
- Deut 3:14Jair the son of Manasseh took all the country of Argob unto the coasts of Geshuri and Maachathi; and called them after his own name, Bashanhavothjair, unto this day.
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 49:11 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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